The instant invention relates to children's toy bowling games and more particularly to an animated and interactive children's toy bowling game wherein the toy produces audible sounds including announcements of the player's score and taunting phrases such that the bowling pins appear to speak to the players during game play, and further wherein the pins are made to wobble or shake during game play to simulate live movement of the pins.
Children's bowling games have heretofore been known in the art. In this regard, the U.S. Pat. No. 709,802 to Shipham and Barlow U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,221 represent the closest prior art to the subject invention of which the applicant is aware.
The U.S. Patent to Shipham discloses a bowling alley having a base and a plurality of pins which are adapted to be repositioned or reset in an upright position by means of tethers attached to the pins. As is well known in the art, the task of resetting the pins to the upright position is an important issue in the play value of a bowling toy. Any system which allows a simple and effective mechanism for resetting the pins adds to the play value of the toy. In this regard, the player is able to pull on a single tether cord and reset the pins to an upright position after each turn.
The U.S. Patent to Barlow discloses a table top bowling game including a base having an alley, a platform above the end of the alley and a plurality of posts on the platform arranged in a pattern similar to the pattern of pin placement in a bowling alley. Each post receives and supports a small scale replica of a bowling pin. Each pin has a spring which normally biases the pin upwardly away from the post. However, each post further includes a hook to maintain the pins in engagement with the posts against the bias of the springs. A plurality of targets are arranged in the alley below the associated posts. A sliding puck is provided for engaging the targets, wherein striking of the targets causes the pins to be released from the posts to "pop" upwardly, thus simulating striking of the pins. The pins are reset by pushing the pins downwardly back into engagement with the posts.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,117,785 to Colton further represents prior art in the subject invention in that it discloses a bowling pin scoring mechanism wherein switches are utilized to determine if the pin has been knocked over, and to thus automatically track scoring. The switches are imbedded in the pin deck of the floor of the alley and operate either by spring bias or photoelectric detectors. Scoring is automatically detected by release of the switch when a pin is knocked down.
The toy bowling game of the present invention includes a base having six upwardly opening sockets therein and six bowling pins which are receivable in the sockets. Provided within each of the sockets is a sensor for determining whether a pin is received in the socket, and an actuator that engages the pin and causes the pin to wobble during game play. The toy bowling game further includes a control system associated with the sensors and the actuators for controlling operation thereof and for tracking score and game play. The toy bowling game still further includes an audio system operative for producing audible sound effects, such as the crash of bowling pins, clapping and cheering, and voice sounds such as announcement of the players score, game instructions and humorous taunting phrases.
More specifically, the pins have a body portion fashioned in the shape of conventional bowling pins and further have fanciful character faces that give the pins the appearance of live characters. The base includes an elevated pin deck which includes the pin sockets and a ramp at the front edge thereof to facilitate rolling of a bowling ball up onto the elevated pin deck. Each of the pins is received in a respective pin socket for locating the pins in a specified pin arrangement. The actuator elements are collectively mounted on a slide plate located in the base, beneath the pin deck. The slide plate, and actuator elements are driven in a linear reciprocating motion by a drive device and a transmission coupled between a movable drive element of the drive device and the slide plate to translate movement of the drive element into a corresponding linear reciprocating movement of the slide plate.
During game play, the pins are wobbled to simulate apparent live movement of the pin characters and the audio unit produces audible sounds including announcements of the player's score and taunting phrases such that the bowling pins appear to speak to the players during game play.
Accordingly, among the objects of the instant invention are: the provision of an animated bowling game wherein the pins appear to be live characters that interact with the players; the provision of an animated bowling game wherein the pins are caused to wobble in position to simulate movement, shaking, or jumping of the pins during game play; the provision of a toy bowling game wherein each pin socket includes a sensor for determining whether a pin is received in the socket; the provision of an animated toy bowling game wherein an audio unit associated with the pin socket sensors produces audible sounds, including bowling noises, crowd noises, announcements of the players score, and taunting phrases spoken by the pin characters responsive to detection of the states of the pin socket sensors; and the provision of a toy bowling game that is simple for young people to operate.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.